In the postal sector, various methods are known in which re-routing instructions pertaining to the mailpieces are ascertained. For instance, German Preliminary Published Application DE 196 44 163 A1 discloses a method and a device for the online processing of mailpieces that are to be forwarded. In this process, an image of the mailpiece is taken and the mailpiece is transported to an intermediate storage area. Following a digitalization procedure, the areas containing the information of interest are ascertained and the forwarding stipulations, the name and address of the recipient as well as—if a deliverer has marked it as “return to sender”—the address of the sender are all read. The results are checked in a database. Recipient names and recipient addresses that cannot be unambiguously read by means of the OCR reader are given priority and evaluated by means of video encoding of the images of the mailpieces. The new recipient address is printed on the mailpiece in a readable and encoded manner.
German patent DE 100 07 897 C1 discloses another method for the distribution of mailpieces. This method provides that, after the mailpiece has been dropped off, the surfaces of the mailpiece containing the addresses are scanned, the recipient information is read and the ascertained data about the recipient is searched in a re-routing database where the re-routing instructions containing names and delivery addresses are stored. The party giving the instruction receives an identifier that is also a searchable constituent of the stored re-routing instruction. When a re-routing instruction is found, the mailpieces are stored under the appertaining identifier and under a consecutive number, in addition to which the shipping service makes information about received mailpieces electronically available to the party giving the instruction. The party giving the instruction electronically informs the shipping service to which delivery addresses the mailpieces are to be sent during a certain period of time or whether information about the contents of the mailpieces should be made electronically available. The mailpieces are returned to the shipment process and a machine-readable code for the selected delivery address is applied onto the mailpieces. If information is requested about the mailpiece contents, the mailpieces are opened, the contents are scanned and made electronically available to the party giving the instruction.
European patent EP 1 053 798 B1 likewise discloses a method to forward mailpieces in which the mailpieces are addressed to a virtual post office box so that they can be delivered directly to a recipient.
Moreover, European patent EP 1 421 537 B1 of this applicant discloses a method to convey mailpieces using electronic parcel compartment facilities. Here, the delivery address of a mailpiece is acquired and changed according to a routine prescribed by the recipient, whereby the routine involves making an association among several delivery times and delivery addresses. At least one delivery address comprises an electronic parcel compartment facility or a compartment of such a parcel compartment facility. If delivery to a parcel compartment facility is requested, the delivery address is also changed as a function of free compartments in the parcel compartment facility. Therefore, if a customer selects delivery to a parcel compartment facility for a certain period of time, the mailpiece is re-addressed to the selected parcel compartment facility. However, if no compartment is free at the facility selected by the customer, the mailpiece is re-routed to a parcel compartment facility that has free compartments.
In the case of the methods known from of the state of the art that entail taking into account re-routing instructions within mail transportation and distribution systems, it is normally provided that a new address is applied onto a mailpiece as soon as the mailpiece is re-addressed. This calls for additional work and is a relatively inflexible handling approach since a mailpiece has to be provided with a new destination address if it needs to be re-addressed once again. Particularly when it comes to re-routing parcels to electronic parcel compartment facilities, however, it can often happen that, if it is ascertained, for example, that no free compartment is available at a facility selected by the customer, then the parcel has to be re-addressed to an alternative parcel compartment facility.
However, if no new address is applied onto a mailpiece, but rather if the mailpiece is then merely sorted on the basis of the re-routing instruction and routed within the mail transportation and distribution system, this has the drawback that the processing personnel and especially the deliverers of the mailpieces are not given any clear information as to whether a mailpiece was correctly re-routed or merely incorrectly sorted.